“No, but you did almost slam your door in my face before.”
Halie bit her lip to fight a grin. “Fair point. But that was because you were an ass. You’re not as irresistible as you’d like to think.”
Shaking his head, Eyden grinned at her. “Whatever you say.” Her answering smile made him feel at ease.
Farren cleared his throat. “Sorry to interrupt…this.I’m done. You should get going. Lora needs to know what we’re planning. I’ll go over some of the other spells you copied.”
Eyden sought out Halie’s eyes again; they were no longer furious, but warm. Maybe letting people in, trusting them, had finally turned luck to his side.
* * *
The first rays of the morning sun were shining through the clouds when Eyden left Halie’s. Hidden in the shadows of the alley, Eyden took out the drawing of the palace map. Lora had noted down which one was her room. He assumed that was where she was since it wasn’t even five bells yet. He needed to fill her in on the plan he and Farren had come up with. Sneaking into Lora’s room was a risk, but he had no way to warn her. Her runia was always turned off when she wasn’t using it.
Concentrating, he visualised the way to her room in his head, including as many details as he could. Then he let the wind drift him away.
A second of freedom carried him through Liraen, propelled by sheer will and pure magic, then his feet hit a wooden floor. It was dark. A thick curtain only let in a hint of light from the rising sun outside. Eyden almost thought he was in the wrong place until he spotted the bed in the corner and Lora in it. She looked peaceful in the dim light, fast asleep.
Quietly, Eyden moved closer. He leaned over the bed and placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to wake her as gently as possible.
Lora’s eyes snapped open, wild with panic. Eyden put his hand over her mouth before she could scream. Her head turned around in the dark. Eyden was about to explain when he felt something sharp against his chest. Looking down, he saw Lora’s dagger gleaming in the morning light, almost piercing his chest.
“Impressive,” Eyden whispered.
Lora relaxed. The pressure of the blade left his chest. Eyden removed his hand and stepped back, letting her sit up.
“How did you get here?” Lora whispered, her gaze travelling to the door. “Did you teleport?”
Eyden kneeled next to the bed so they were eye to eye. “Yes, it worked.”
Lora’s lips stretched into a breathtaking smile.
He quickly filled her in on part of the plan. They needed to get their hands on her contract, but currently, they couldn’t be sure where it was. Lora bit her lip, clearly not convinced it would work. There was so much on the line for her.
Handing her the second bracelet, he said, “If you wear this, I can always find you.” It was linked to his own bracelet by Farren’s magic. He needed to be able to drift to her for their plan to work.
Lora took the bracelet from him, turning it over in the palm of her hand. “Is that a promise?” she asked, eyes filled with emotion.
“It’s amaybe,” Eyden replied, grinning. His words to Halie played in his head. He wanted to tell Lora how he felt, to make sure sheknew,but his throat felt strangled.
Lora smiled back. “I’ll have to hide it.” She was wearing short sleeves now, but fastened it around her wrist anyway.
“Tonight,” Eyden said.
Lora nodded, clearly worried, the smile washed away by anxiety. Her hand went under her pillow, and she pulled out a crumpled letter. “Give this to Marcel, will you?”
“I will.” Eyden put the letter in his pocket as he caught her frightened gaze. To lighten the mood, he pointed his chin at the dagger next to her on the bed. “Do you always sleep with it?”
“It makes falling asleep easier.” Lora’s lips quivered as if to fight a smile. “You called me impressive.”
“Still taking count of those compliments?”
“You bet. And I’m winning.” This time, her smile broke free, stealing his breath.
Eyden’s gaze lingered on her lips; that smile alone making his heart beat faster, invoking something in him he was becoming all too familiar with. “I’ll give you a thousand compliments if you just give me that smile again,” he said.
Lora leaned in, placing a soft kiss to his lips, her mouth moulding to his as if it was always supposed to be this way. Eyden tangled his hand in her hair, pulling her closer, his tongue running along the seam of her mouth. He welcomed the sigh coming from her lips, running straight to his lower half. Eyden’s other hand went to her waist, the material of her shirt so thin that even in the low light, he could see she wasn’t wearing a bra. His hand strayed higher—
A knock on the door made them break apart.
